Bed reading lamp



March 2, 1937. A. A. BARBERA BED READING LAMP Filed Aug.- 9, 1935 Patented Mar. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a bed reading lamp and has for its principal objects, to generally improve upon and simplify the construction of the existing forms of bed lamps, to provide a lamp having a base and standard that may be conveniently positioned behind the head of a bed or to the sides thereof, and the construction of which base and standard being such, that the latter will occupy minimum space between the head of the bed and the adjacent wall and further, to provide a lamp of the character referred to that has a wide range of adjustability, so that the light and its reflector may be conveniently shifted into any desired position above the bed so that the correct amount of light may be directed to the reading matter.

Further objects of my invention are, to provide an electric lamp of the character referred to that may be conveniently employed as a floor lamp go wherever desired and said lamp including a substantially tubular standard which accommodates the electric cord that leads to the lamp positioned within the reflector, said standard being verti cally adjustable and provided with simple means 5 for locking the parts thereof in differently adjusted vertical positions, the upper end of said standard carrying a swinging telescopic arm, the

outer portion of which is extended downward and with a switch, a lamp receiving socket and a re- 30 flector adjustably carried by the end of the downwardly curved portion of the telescopic arm.

A further object of my invention is to provide a lamp that includes a telescopic standard and a separately formed base, and which provision in 35 addition to minimizing production costs, makes it possible to utilize standard forms of telescopic members with different forms of bases. Thus my improved construction makes it possible to produce floor lamps having ornamental bases and 40 also to produce simple, practical and inexpensive bed reading lamps having plain bases, and which latter, it Will be understood, are positioned against the wall below the head portion of a bed where they are not exposed to view.

45 With the foregoing and other objects in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangements of parts that will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in 50 which:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a lamp of my improved construction, with a portion of the standard in Vertical section and showing the standard of the lamp positioned between the head 5 of a bed and the adjacent wall.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View of the lamp.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-6 of Fig. 3. '5

Fig. 5'is an enlarged horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a detail section of the ball and socket joint between the end of the swinging telescopic arm and the lamp socket and reflector. 10

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, Ill designates a base, preferably formed of metal and substantially L-shape when viewed in side elevation, in order that the 15 horizontally disposed lower portion may rest flat on the floor.

In order to provide a comparatively light weight structure, the base is preferably of skeleton construction and the upright portion may be shaped, decorated and finished as desired.

Formed integral with or fixed to the upper end of the vertical portion of the base, is one end of the horizontal arm of an L-shaped bracket II that projects rearwardly and upwardly from the top of the base and this construction accommodates the baseboard and floor molding, when the base is positioned so that the standard that rises from said base is positioned immediately against the surface of a wall (see dotted lines in Fig. 1).

Detachably secured preferably by means of screws to the vertical leg of braket l I, is the lower portion of the web of a vertically disposed channel l2, the flanges l3 of which are rearwardly presented.

Inasmuch as channel 12 is detachably connected to the upper portion of the base Ill, said standard may be conveniently applied to any other suitable base or its lower portion may be fixed to the base board, to a wall or to any other supporting element. By forming the base separate from the channel I4 and detachably connecting the lower end of said channel to the upper end of the base, it is possible to combine standard forms of telescopic members with plain and comparatively inexpensive bases in the production of bed reading lamps, or with ornamental bases to provide floor lamps, all portions of which are exposed when in use.

Arranged to slide freely on this vertically disposed channel, is a metal tube l4 and thus the channel and tube surrounding same constitute the telescopic standard of the lamp.

The form of channel utilized in forming the telescopic standard is of the type having a wide web and narrow flanges, and thus when said channel is inserted in the rectangular tube I I to form the telescopic standard, the resulting structure has comparatively narrow thickness in relation to its width, so that said standard occupies very little space when placed directly against the wall behind the head of a bed.

The channel and tube when properly associated, constitute a housing for the electric core that leads to the electric lamp carried by the fixture.

In order that the tube I4 may be firmly secured to the channel I2 in differently adjusted positions, a clamping screw I5 passes through the lower portion of the tube I4 and engages the web of channel Mounted on the upper end of the tube I4, is a coupling member I6 having an externally threaded upper portion and mounted to rotate freely within the upper portion of this coupling, is the downwardly turned end I"! of a horizontally disposed tubular arm I8.

To retain the end I! of the arm I8 in the coupling I6, a nut I9 is screw-seated on the threaded portion ofcoupling I6 and said nut having an opening for the reception of the end portion ll of arm I8.

That portion of the end ll of the horizontal arm that is positioned below the nut I9 is slightly enlarged so that it cannot pass through the opening in the nut and thus the arm is connected to the upper end of the standard so that it may be swung freely in either direction.

Screw-seated on the opposite end of arm I8, is a nut 20, provided with an opening for the reception of horizontally disposed portion of a tubular arm 2|.

That end of arm 2I that projects into swinging arm I8 is slightly enlarged to form a head 22 that slides freely within said arm I8 and thus the arms I8 and M are telescopically connected.

The outer portion of arm 2| is curved downwardly as designated by 23 and the end of said downwardly curved portion is connected by a conventional ball and socket joint 24, to a combined switch and socket fitting 25. The socket receives an ordinary electric lamp designated by the numeral 26 and suitably mounted upon the combined switch and socket member and surrounding lamp 26, is a reflector 21, preferably formed of metal and of any desired shape.

The electric cord C that supplies current to lamp 25, passes into the open lower end of tube I4, thence through arms I8 and 2|, thence through the ball of the ball and socket joint 24 and the wires within said cord are connected in the usual manner to the contacts of switch 25.

When my improved lamp is used in association with a bed, the base I0 is positioned on the floor with the base board and floor molding positioned beneath the bracket I I and the vertically adjustable standard extends upwardly between the head of the bed and the wall, as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Thus the bed may occupy its usual position with the head thereof positioned immediately adjacent a wall and by moving the tube I 4 upwardly or downwardly upon the channel I2 and then clamping the parts to each other by means of the screw I5,'the telescoping arms I8 and 2| may be adjusted to any desired elevation.

Arm I8 may be swung to one side or the other and arm 2I may be moved into or out of said arm I8, so as to position the lamp and its reflector at any desired point away from the head of the bed and to either side thereof.

The ball and socket joint provides simple and efficient means for permitting the electric lamp and reflector to be shifted into different angular positions, as may be desired by the occupant of the bed.

The construction of the base is such that the lamp may be used as a floor lamp, at any point in a room and when so used it provides convenient and readily adjustable illumination for a reader occupying a chair or other seat or while seated at a desk or table.

The construction of my improved lamp is such that it is, under all conditions, self-supporting and when used as a bed reading lamp no part of the base or telescopic standard is attached to the floor or wall. By mounting the arm 2|, so that it may be swung from one side to the other and likewise adjusted longitudinally of arm I8, the lamp carried by said arm 23 may be positioned directly over the book or paper that is being read by the occupant of the bed or directly adjacent the eye task.

Thus it will be seen that I have provided a reading lamp that is relatively simple in construction, inexpensive of manufacture, having a wide range of adjustability and which lamp is very effective in performing the functions for which it is intended.

It will be understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved electric bedlamp may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bed reading lamp, a substantially L- shaped base having the upper portion of its vertical leg offset with respect to the lower portion thereof, so that said base may be positioned immediately adjacent a base board, with its offset upper portion positioned immediately adjacent the wall above the base board, a channel having its lower end detachably connected to the offset upper portion of said base and extending upwardly therefrom with its open side facing the wall, a narrow tubular member arranged for sliding movement on said channel and cooperating therewith to form a duct for an electric cord, means for clamping the tubular member to the channel in differently adjusted positions and a horizontally disposed extensible lamp-carrying arm mounted for swinging movement on the upper portion of said tubular member.

2. In a bed reading lamp, a substantially L- shaped base, a vertically disposed channel having its lower portion connected to the upper portion of said base, said channel being offset from the vertical leg of said base so that said channel and the vertical leg of said base may occupy positions adjacent a wall and the base board that extends along the lower portion of the base of said wall, said channel being arranged so that its open side faces the wall, a narrow tube arranged for sliding movement on said channel, said tube cooperating with said channel to form a duct for electric conductors, means for securing said tubular member to said channel in differently adjusted vertical positions and an extensible lamp-carrying arm mounted for swinging movement on the upper portion of said tubular member.

ARTHUR A. BARBERA. 

